Monday, January 13, 2020

Politics in the Time of Anti-CAA Row

Defying the relentless protests by a number of organizations in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, the Union government in New Delhi has lately imposed the Citizenship Amendment act 2019 (CAA) by bringing the gazette notification and it was another reason to make the people in northeast India angry and baffled with the development.

Most of the localities in the region were passing through an uproarious situation as the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 (CAB) was passed in the Parliament and subsequently endorsed by the President of India. A series of protest-demonstrations were observed with the participation of locals including student leaders, singers, academicians, writers, journalists, etc with the sole demand to repeal the CAA.

The CAB, which argued for Indian citizenship to religious persecuted asylum seekers including Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Parsi, Jain families in Muslim dominated Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh (who came prior to December 31, 2014), was easily passed in Lok Sabha (on December 9, 2019) where the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) enjoys the majority. It was later passed in Rajya Sabha (December 11, 2019) with significant vote differences and subsequently endorsed by President Ramnath Kovind.

Putting voices for the specific bill that aimed to amend the Citizenship Act 1955, Union home minister Amit Shah quoted Mahatma Gandhi as saying on 26 September 1947 that Hindu and Sikh people living in Pakistan can fearlessly come to India as it would be the duty of India to give them shelter and jobs. During the RS debates, Shah also pointed out that the Liaquat-Nehru pact on 8 April 1950 agreed that both Pakistan and India would treat respective minorities with dignity.

On the debate, why Muslims have been kept aside in the process, Shah categorically stated that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh follow their constitutions where it is defined that those are Islamic nations and no Muslim can be religious minorities there. He, however, clarified that India has provisions for Muslim victims of persecution and they are being given citizenship on case to case basis. At the same pace, he assured that Indian Muslims need not worry as the CAB (CAA) would not affect them.

In the northeastern region, where anti-CAB protests gained momentum, Shah declared that the amended CAB had exempted all States under the inner line permit (ILP) arrangement and localities declared under the sixth schedule to the Constitution. With the amendments northeastern States namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and lately Manipur were given immunities, whereas major areas of Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura were also kept outside the CAA.

Nonetheless, if not the Barak valley, other localities of Assam witnessed a series of protests against the CAA. Assamese protesters have come to the streets raising voices against the CAA as they apprehend that it would destroy their language and culture. They would not digest the arguments for making the CAA secular (read inclusion of Muslim asylum seekers) and they are determined that no illegal migrant (irrespective of his/her religions) should be settled in Assam after March 25, 1971 (mentioned in Assam Accord).

Continuous protest-demonstrations by All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), a section of the Assamese performing artistes along with their associates had also hinted to form a political party eying the forthcoming State Assembly elections in 2021. Even though the agitators were waiting for the Supreme Court’s directive as another hearing (on CAA) was scheduled on January 22, they have unofficially declared that a new regional party was emerging to counter the saffron party in Assam.

AASU leaders namely Samujjal Bhattacharya, Dipankar Nath, and Lurinjyoti Gogoi along with popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg and his thousands of fans expressed confident that the electorate would this time reject the saffron party. They were morally supported by many Assamese academicians, lawyers, writers, media personalities, etc in their mission. But various active anti-CAA civil society groups including Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (whose top leader Akhil Gogoi is behind the bars for NIA charges) are yet to make up their minds.

However, the proposed regional political party had drawn the attention of the opposition Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). Veteran Congress leader and former State chief minister Tarun Gogoi welcomed the initiative and he publicly announced that they would think of going for an alliance with the new party. Later AIUDF supremo Badruddin Ajmal also extended supports to the party so that the saffron party could be challenged in the coming State and general elections.

Facing the heat of disapproval and rejections across the Brahmaputra valley, the saffron leaders swiftly came to action with an aim to mobilize the people in their favor. BJP’s State unit in association with their political allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) started organizing spectacular peace rallies (read pro-CAA gathering) in different localities. Started at Nalbari in western Assam, the ruling parties continue their rallies at Sarbhog (Barpeta), Jagiroad, Sualkuchi, Biswanath, etc with massive supports from their well-wishers.

The ruling party also organized a booth-level conclave in Guwahati, where the national working president JP Nadda, general secretary Ram Madhav, State chief minister Sarbanand Sonowal, State BJP president Ranjeet Kr Dass, State minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, etc were present to clarify that the CAA would not be harmful to the people of Assam and northeast India. They also alleged that the Congress leaders were trying to manipulate the anti-CAA stir for their political gains.

Addressing a strong over 75000 saffron supporters, Nadda reassured that the Centre is committed to safeguarding the language & indigenous cultures of northeastern residents besides developing the region. Criticizing the Congress leaders for spreading misinformation about the CAA across the country, Nadda appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Shah for showing the political will to take initiative for the persecuted asylum seekers.

Sonowal criticized both the Congress and Left parties for spreading misinformation that over one crore Bangladeshi Hindu nationals would be settled in Assam with the CAA arrangements. He targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asking him to answer ‘how many Bangladeshi nationals were allowed to enter and stay in Assam during the Congress rule for the sack of vote-bank politics. Sonowal alleged that the Congress had never shown due respect to the indigenous people of Assam.

North-East Democratic Alliance convener Sarma asserted that the number of CAA beneficiaries in Assam would never cross five lakh. Lambasting the anti-national elements, Sarma declared that he would leave the politics if the number (CAA beneficiaries) goes above five lakh in the State. Rejecting any possibility of success with a new political party in the State, he claimed that the saffron party would get not less than 100 seats in the 126-member State Assembly polls scheduled for early next year.

Commenting on anti-CAA protests, he stated that the government has no problem with peaceful & democratic movements, but the vandalism and violence would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Sarma also commented that the ongoing anti-CAA pretests have lost its credibility as the agitators now start talking about party politics. He, however, asserted that the BJP remains ready to face any electoral political challenges in the future.